VAECE Conference 2009

The connection between literacy and music was researched for the better part of the 20th century. Both areas represent language, a form of communication if you will; the spoken and the sung word. For 8 years, I have researched the impact that involvement in music might have on beginning readers in preschool settings. That research led to a collaboration with Dr. Marta Collier, Associate Professor of Early Childhood at the University of Arkansas- Fayetteville. Together we have created music and literacy activities designed to stimulate emergent literacy and lay a foundation for music literacy as well. On March 14, 2009, we presented a workshop for the Virginia Association of Early Childhood Educators in Richmond, Virginia entitled Sing me a story, read me a rhyme: The Case for music-integrated read-alouds in the early literacy experience. The common concept that united the music and literacy activity was cumulative or chain stories and songs. We chose to feature an African-American variant of an age-old folktale and demonstrated with group participation how to present the tale and integrate music meaningfully into that literacy activity using best practice. During and after the demonstration, we fielded and asked questions regarding what essential skills and concepts children would learn regarding music and pre-reading from the workshop activity. Interaction with and observation of the 40+ workshop attendees, a mix of novice and veteran early childhood practitioners, reaffirmed important points for us a methods professors to remember when guiding pre-service teachers in the design of arts-integrated literacy activities:

(1) Begin with a sensory activity involving some item or items from the story;

(2) Encourage children to create sentences during the dialogue that is generated during the sensory experience;

(3) Bridge the sensory experience to reading of the story through a song about the sensory items as they relate to the story;

(4) Be emotionally and physically involved and engaged with the children when reading, encouraging them to join in on any repetition of text and motions that occur throughout the story;

(5) At the close of reading the story, recycle the tune of the song used earlier during the activity replacing the text about the sensory items with the sequence of events in the story.

(6) Sing and dramatize the events of the story using character visuals and simple musical instruments; and

(7) Remember to assess and adapt throughout the activity for student success regarding music and literacy concepts and skills.

Submitted by Dr. Donna Wiggins

Associate Professor of Music

Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem, NC

Video from the session shows excerpts of Dr. Collier and Dr. Wiggins demonstrating best practice with integration of a common concept, the cumulative quality, into music and pre-reading activities.